Mobile wireless devices in wireless networks can be designed to balance advanced communication capabilities with limited available power storage, particularly in devices with smaller form factors that offer “high performance” features such as provided in “smart” phones. Analog signal reception and signal processing by the mobile wireless device can consume significant amounts of power when active that can affect battery drain in the mobile device. Continuous reception of radio frequency signals, even when not establishing or maintaining an active connection with the wireless network, can reduce the operating time of the mobile wireless device unnecessarily. In an “idle” state, during which the mobile wireless device may not be not actively connected to the wireless network, the mobile wireless device can receive and process signals selectively rather than continuously to reduce power consumption. Active circuitry in the mobile wireless device can be limited to components needed to receive and decode signaling messages from the wireless network. Wireless communication standards can specify procedures that can provide for lower power consumption by allowing the mobile wireless device to cycle between a non-active “sleep” state and an active “wake” state in a process known as discontinuous reception (DRX). Newer mobile wireless devices can also include multiple antennas connected to multiple receivers that can each consume power. During an active wake cycle, the mobile wireless device can selectively receive signals through one or more antennas, adapting the number of antennas used and the number of active receivers that process signals based on received signal conditions to balance performance of wireless reception with local battery power consumption.
Wireless networks continue to evolve as new communication technologies develop and standardize. Current wireless network deployments include many variations in architecture, including support for different wireless communication technologies offered by one or more wireless network service providers. A representative wireless network for a wireless network service provider can include support for one or more releases of wireless communication protocols specified by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) and Third Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2) communication standards organizations. The 3GPP develops mobile communication standards that include releases for Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE Advanced standards. The 3GPP2 develops mobile communication standards that include CDMA2000 1×RTT standards. Each of the standards listed above include a form of discontinuous reception (DRX) in which one or more receivers (or transceivers) in a mobile wireless device can be disabled periodically to save power consumption and then be selectively enabled to listen for signaling messages transmitted by the wireless network. The signaling messages can be used to initiate connections between the specific mobile wireless device and the wireless network as well as to broadcast information to multiple mobile wireless devices for operation in the wireless network.
Representative signaling messages include paging indicators sent in one or more paging indicator channels and paging messages (or more generally signaling/control messages) transmitted in parallel paging (signaling/control) channels. The mobile wireless device can monitor a paging channel directly or can monitor a paging indicator channel for paging indicators that can point to a forthcoming paging message on a paging channel As a paging indicator can be as short as one bit, variations in received signal quality conditions can corrupt the page indicator bit and can potentially result in the mobile wireless device missing page messages or reading page messages intended for other mobile wireless devices and thus wasting power consumption in the mobile wireless device unnecessarily. The mobile wireless device can adapt reception based on measured receive signal quality and/or receive signal strength to improve reception of the signaling messages. The mobile wireless device can enable multiple receivers to improve signal reception of paging indicators on the paging indicator channel and/or paging messages on the paging channel. For mobile wireless devices that support receive diversity with multiple antennas and multiple receivers, power consumption during signal reception can depend on the number of active receivers. The performance of decoding received can depend on the quality of signals received through one or more antennas, each of which can be connected to one or more receivers. Thus there exists a need for methods and apparatuses to adapt receive diversity in a mobile wireless device that can improve signal reception while limiting power consumption during discontinuous reception in the wireless network.